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In 2015, the ban was revised so that a man had to abstain from having sex with another man for a full year to donate blood. The ban started in 1985 - at that time, blood banks had limited abilities to test blood products, and so the FDA banned donations from several groups who were found to have higher rates of HIV, including gay men - and at that time, the ban was for life. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change their current policy on gay men and blood donation, which currently requires men who have sex with men to abstain from sex for three months prior to blood donation. The dire state of blood donations have prompted renewed calls for the U.S. Changing Blood Donations Restrictions for Gay Men Would Increase Blood Supply Up to 100 units of blood can be required to save a single car accident victim.
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Blood transfusions are an essential part of treatment for diseases such as sickle cell disease, as well as for many people undergoing cancer treatment. “Please, if you are eligible, make an appointment to give blood or platelets in the days and weeks ahead to ensure no patient is forced to wait for critical care.” Blood Donation Saves LivesĪlthough close to seven million people in the United States donate blood, that’s only about 3 percent of eligible people.Įvery 2 seconds, someone in the United States needs blood or platelets, according to the American Red Cross. “Winter weather across the country and the recent surge of COVID-19 cases are compounding the already-dire situation facing the blood supply,” said Baia Lasky, MD, medical director for the Red Cross, in a release.
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On January 18, a week after the crisis was declared, the blood supply fell even lower as more than 200 blood drives across the country were cancelled due to winter storms, resulting in nearly 6,500 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected, according to a statement. We will keep fighting until the deferral period is lifted and gay and bi men, and all LGBTQ people, are treated equal to others.The omicron surge and winter weather are being blamed for a blood shortage in the United States, causing the American Red Cross to declare a national blood donation crisis for the first time in the organization’s history. The FDA’s decision to lower the deferral period on men who have sex with men from 12 months to 3 months is a step towards being more in line with science, but remains imperfect. "This is a victory for all of us who raised our collective voices against the discriminatory ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. "LGBTQ Americans can hold their heads up today and know that our voices will always triumph over discrimination," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. In the last week Democratic senators and gay rights advocacy groups have called on the federal government to loosen these restrictions, citing the recent blood shortages caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. We must right this wrong now and without delay." Continuing to enforce the de facto prohibition on blood donation by sexually active gay and bisexual men does not reflect the best science available. He continued, "As the global pandemic wears on, the integrity and safety of the blood supply in this country must be preserved, strengthened, and maintained. But our work is not yet done."ĭavid said it was "critical to prioritize science and facts over fear and bias," referring to the current COVID-19 pandemic. "While this change by the FDA is a step in the right direction, it still bases itself in bias rather than science," Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, recognized the FDA’s move as a step forward but said there’s more work to be done. Some hospitals are facing an oxygen shortage amid coronavirus crisis